Don Williams has covered Texas Tech football as either a beat writer or columnist for all but one year beginning in 1986. That counts two seasons he spent at the University Daily. He joined the A-J full-time in 1988.
He's covered around 250 Tech football games, including 17 bowls. In the 1990s, he also staffed Dallas Cowboys home games and three Super Bowls.
Some of his other beats include Tech track and field and small college basketball and baseball. He was on hand in Lewiston, Idaho, when Lubbock Christian University won the NAIA World Series in 2009.
Williams graduated from Midland College in 1985, following the Chaparrals to the NJCAA final four one year, and from Texas Tech in 1988. He interned at the Arizona Republic in 1987, where he spent the summer covering the Triple-A Phoenix Firebirds and future major leaguers Matt Williams, Terry Mulholland, Dennis Cook and Jeff Brantley and ex-major leaguer Dave Kingman. (Thankfully, Kingman, a renowned media hater, did not send a rat to Don in the press box.)

Texas Tech played most of Saturday's game with an all-freshman secondary after free safety Keenon Ward was knocked out of the game with a head injury while making a tackle on the third play. The Red Raiders already were without starting safety J.J.

Le'Raven Clark made what seemed to be an executive decision at the beginning of the week: The offensive linemen will go sleeveless on Saturday. So what if Texas Tech will be playing in its coldest football game of this, or most, seasons.

The Texas Tech football program doesn't have a lot of recent experience to use as a guide for its current situation. The 3-7 Red Raiders are assured of a losing record with two games remaining in the regular season for the first time since 1992.

Texas Tech interim defensive coordinator Mike Smith on Monday upped the rhetoric and hard feelings toward former defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt, saying the Red Raiders’ defensive signals have been given away to Tech opponents since some point after Wallerstedt left the staff on Sept. 18.
“They have,” Smith said. “They have been passed around. ... I know other coaches have called and our signals have been passed around the whole time. All I know is karma’s a bad deal.

Texas Tech lost two starting defensive backs in its 42-30 loss Saturday with cornerback Justis Nelson suffering a head injury and not playing after the first series and strong safety J.J. Gaines leaving with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter.